Police bust gang involved in fake online job advertisement site, 17 smartphone recovered
Jamshedpur, April 11: City police have nabbed a gang of four who used to rob smartphones of youths after promising them jobs through online advertisement site.
The arrested youths include kingpin of the gang, Amit Upadhayay, a 22-year-old B. Com final year student from Karim City College (Sakchi), a resident of Sarjamda under Parsudih police station, Krishna Tuddu (25) who owns a small mobile shop in Parsudih, Gaurango Mandal (21) son of a Tata Steel security staff, Lakhipado Mandal and Bablu Majhi (27). Incidentally, all the four are residents of Parsudih and its nearby areas. A total of 17 smartphone have been recovered.
Addressing a press meet, East Singhbhum SSP Anoop Birtharay, said the youths used to lure job seekers by posting advertisement in online advertisement site, Olx.
�As per our investigation, Amit used to post advertisement for fourth grade job openings (clerks, labourersetc) in big companies on online advertisement site Olx with their contact number. Once the job seeker gets in touch with them, they used to call the applicant to a prominent location in city like Tata Steel gate etc and convince them of providing them jobs. They then demanded their smartphones so that they can download the company applications on the pretext they would be getting the job confirmation on the app. The target believing them hands over the smartphone and getting a chance they flee away with the mobile on bike before victim could react and raise alarm,� the SSP said.
The group even snatched a costly smartphone of an Ola cab driver at Parsudih on March 28 which made the police investigate the crime.
�Further we also found that most of the victims had not lodged complaint in the police stations and had simply lodged a missing case of their mobile phone and got their SIM locked. We came to know about the case after an Ola cab driver had his mobile snatched by the group. One of the youth had hired the Ola cab and taken him to a narrow lane in Sarjamda and after stopping the trip, he wanted to see the fare amount on the cab driver mobile on the plea that his own mobile was out of charge. As soon as he got the mobile he fled on the bike. The cab driver complained at Parsudih police and also informed about the mobile number through which the booking was made. This made us put the mobile under surveillance immediately,� the SSP added.
Parsudih police station official later also received few more complaints in April about mobiles taken away on pretext of job.
